Today’s Nintendo Direct, released while most of you were asleep, was a WONDER in many ways. We’ll get to why we emphasized that word in a bit, but it has something to do with the Elephant Mario in the splash image.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was that most of the rumors were true. Usually when social media starts hoping for a remake of Beloved Game X to appear, it doesn’t. But this time Super Mario RPG, after years of curious absence from Nintendo Switch Online, made an appearance as a fully HD remake, with talking clouds, rude purple alligators, Boshi, and everything else people love. In the same video Nintendo also confirmed two solo games for Peach and Luigi are also in development for 2024.
But there’s more…the Star Ocean 2 remake was ALSO real! And it’s not a rehash of the PSP version….it’s rebuilt from the ground-up in a gorgeous 2D-HD style that preserves the PS1 sprite characters while bringing the rendered backgrounds to life. More importantly, the English voices are redone (anyone who’s played the original knows what I’m talking about).
Other rumors of a new 2D Mario were confirmed with Super Mario Bros Wonder, which takes the Mario Bros and their friends to a new, strange world with power-ups that bestow unpredictable results. When you touch a Wonder Flower “pipes could come alive, hordes of enemies may appear, [or] characters might change their looks,” according to Nintendo.
The full list of games shown off in the Direct, with trailers for each, can be browsed below in order of release. Woohoo!
Pikmin 1 and 2 — today
Play ’em to prepare yourself for Pikmin 4.
Sonic Superstars — Fall 2023
Manic Mechanics — July 13
Pikmin 4 — July 21
Vampire Survivors — August 17
Gloomhaven — September 18
Silent Hope — October 3
You know how most classic-styled JRPG protagonists don’t speak? This one works it into the narrative. It’s due to a curse.
Detective Pikachu Returns — October 6
Super Mario Bros Wonder — October 20
Embrace the elephant.
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection — October 24
The Switch is not the only system getting this, but everyone needs these games in their collection — trust me.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R — November 2
YES!!!!!
Wario Ware: Move It — November 3
A new Wario Ware at last, but it’s entirely motion controls. Not everyone will be into that.
Super Mario RPG — November 17
Persona 5 Tactica — November 17
Batman Arkham Trilogy — Fall 2023
They consider these the best Batman games made to date — see if they’re right. The very last time Conroy, Hamill and Sorkin were together!
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince — December 1
One other rumor was a remake of the Game Boy Color DQM, but I guess we’re getting this instead.
Palia — Holiday 2023
The Switch sure has a lot of farming sims, but here’s another.
Mythforce — 2023
A first-person hack and slash with designs inspired by Saturday Morning action cartoons.
Princess Peach game — 2024
Luigi’s Mansion 3DS remake — 2024
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